Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under fire from within his own party for his decision to link a D-Day commemoration to anti-immigration politics.
Speaking at an American military cemetery in France on Saturday, Hegseth, 46, marked the 82nd anniversary by stating: “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies.
“Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion, or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he said.
The hardline MAGA devotee then preached: “The men who fought and died here restored freedom to Europe. That freedom must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters, or what they fought for was merely temporary.”
Hegseth—whose visit to Langrune-sur-Mer was protested by local residents due to “warlike statements” and “American supremacist pronouncements”—quickly faced pushback for his inflammatory words.
Fellow Republican Michael McCaul appeared on ABC News’ This Week on Sunday, and blasted: “Well as the son of a D-Day veteran, look, there’s a time and a place for these issues of immigration. That was not the day, not the anniversary of D-Day.
“I think out of respect to the veterans, myself being the son of a D-Day veteran, those remarks were out of place. I think it should have been about their sacrifice, their service to their country, and what they did to protect the free world at a time of great peril against Nazi Germany,” he said.
“That should have been the message. It always has been in the past. And quite frankly I thought it was just inappropriate.”
Similarly, one MAGA-aligned X user, who was followed by the late Charlie Kirk, said that despite agreeing with Hegseth’s extreme anti-immigration stance, even they thought it was a step too far.
“Honestly I agree with Hegseth’s concerns about Europe disintegrating under muslim immigration but HOLY S--T D-Day is not the venue to preach to them on their own soil,” they wrote.
Even prior to opening his mouth, some critics suspected that Hegseth may not have grasped the seriousness of the D-Day commemoration when the “Secretary of War” was seen landing in Paris flanked by his wife and six of the children in their blended family.
Responding to the criticism, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast: “Secretary Hegseth follows all ethics rules, regulations, and guidelines to the letter.
“Department travel policies are applied consistently and with full accountability. The Department of War maintains rigorous standards to ensure taxpayer resources are protected while senior leaders fulfill their official duties.”
